Changes For the Better
by GAHH.iytsRina
Summary: When Mikan Sakura experiences unfaithful events in her past, she is thrown into a life of resentment, reticence, and regret. What will happen when she meets certain people that miraculously change her life for the better? Or for worse, even?
1. Finally the Beginning

My first fanfiction...I was inspired. Don't be too harsh on me, okay? And about those **disclaimer** thingies, yeah, i don't own Gakuen Alice.

Chapter 1;

_Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring and because it has fresh peaches in it_.

_-T.M._

It was an October evening, and a well-known brunette with brilliant hazel eyes was currently in the bathroom looking herself over and over in the mirror. It was not like she was conceited or anything. In fact, she was far from arrogant. It was just this particular day that her older stepsister had begged so-called father to make the brown-haired beauty go to a dating show with her. How could _Daddy_ possibly resist his little, blood-related angel of a daughter?

"Mikan Loser Sakura! You took the lip gloss I bought yesterday, didn't you?!" a certain orange-haired girl screamed.

Mikan sighed. _When would life get better? _She thought to herself. "You idiot, it's still in the _other_ purse you used yesterday to go on that date of yours!" Mikan exclaimed, due to the fact that they were in separate rooms from each other.

There was a moment of shuffling then the scurrying of a few pairs of feet, probably one of Luna's robot of a friend. Mikan already knew the reason her sister's friends would always kiss up to Luna, and do anything, and this was literal: She was the most popular girl in school, and by she, Mikan definitely did not mean herself.

Along with her goddess-like body, and clear, pretty face, Luna also had a boyfriend. Scratch that, the god of the school. Seriously! Luna's boyfriend, by the name of Nakatsu Tashiya, was one of the most popular _boys_ in school. Girls described him as sexy and hot, and probably wouldn't mind kissing his feet. That is, every girl but Mikan. The thought of being in the same bed as him wanted to make her puke and sent shivers down her body. People would expect sixteen-year-olds to be more mature when talking about the opposite sex, but Mikan was different. For some reason, she abhorred men, maybe because of her stepfather's treatment of her in the past, or a certain prank Luna pulled on her when they were mere ten-year-olds.

FLASHBACK~

It was summer, and three children were playing by the pond in Central Park. Water was being splashed and two excited girls were screaming.

"Stop! This is so disgusting!" yelled a very irate little girl, her hands on her hips and her feet tapping rhythmically.

"Chill, Luna, it's just water," answered a certain bubbly girl with silky, brown hair that curled naturally at the bottom.

"Just water!? News flash, Mikan, it's water from the pond—a place where animals bathe slash eat slash drink slash go number two! That's not all; you got mud on my new pink blouse!" Luna answered, her voice getting an octave higher with every word. By then, Luna's face had become as red as a ripe tomato, and the person who had been quiet during the argument between the two blabbering girls had finally mustered up the courage to make a sound. And let me tell you, what a big mistake he made.

"What are you laughing at, four eyes?" said Luna, in a rather mocking tone.

Four eyes straightened his back and cleared his throat. It was clear that he could not retort back to the nickname he had just been dubbed. This person was no other than Yuu Tobita.

"At least he has brains and knows his abc's by now," Mikan stated, trying to ease the embarrassment Luna had placed upon poor Yuu.

Luna scoffed. "For your information, I do know my adc's, so don't go defending him with such a weak reply."

Mikan rolled her eyes while Yuu tried to stifle another giggle. "I'm going to go for a walk, let you," she pointed her index finger at Luna, "cool down a bit. I need some time to think; I think I don't know _my _a_d_c's."

Luna stuck her tongue out and made a face before she turned to the cowering Yuu. By now, Mikan had already skipped to the far end of the meadow. She had left Yuu with a smile plastered on her lovely face, in which Yuu had thankfully returned back. But with his shield gone, he had no one to turn to, and Luna was already only a few inches away.

"Listen. We'll be entering middle school soon and I know you're not one of the toughest guys around. I have a proposal for you; if you don't want me to make your life miserable, I suggest you don't hang out with my cow of a sister. She's all talk no walk, eh? Hang with her and people will always bully you," Luna paused to analyze the reaction of her victim. Success; he was shaking and sweating like a donkey. Whether it was from fear, nervousness, or just the heat of the afternoon sun, we don't know. Crossing her arms, stepping closer to Yuu, and causing him to fall over, Luna continued her ranting.

"Here's what I want you to do. When Mikan comes back from her lil' walk, I want you to diss her when she tries to defend you. I'm sure we'll get into another argument. It might not sound very efficient just to diss her, but trust me, she'll fall apart. She can be tough with people she doesn't like but when it comes to her best buddies, she will go down." Luna smirked at her plan and to say that she would enjoy the look on Mikan's face would be an understatement. She would freakin' cherish it. Oh how these two sisters hated each other.

Yuu was terrified. He knew perfectly well that Luna was capable of turning the whole school against someone, but to threaten with it was plain malicious. Mikan was one of Yuu's best and only friends. He knelt on the ground, both palms on the ground, and tried to hold his agony in. Luna was impatiently waiting for Yuu's reply when suddenly she saw Mikan from afar, marching back carelessly.

"So? What is it going to be? Her friendship or my pain? You better say what I expect you to because you do not want to see Luna Koizumi mad." Her statement was bland.

"Um…o-okay," Yuu answered, feeling weak. He promised himself he was going to find a way to fix this after it was all over.

"Hi, boys!" Mikan chirped cheerily. Luna gave a stern glare and was about to utter a comeback when Yuu exploded, "You are the most annoying girl I have ever met! Go away insolent piece of shiet. At least Luna has class, but you? You can't do anything!! No wonder no one likes you." Yuu had squeaked the last sentence and he was feeling nauseated.

Luna and Mikan were awestruck. Suddenly, the ground under Mikan's feet was trembling. Mikan wondered why the other two looked so balanced; she felt like falling over. Yuu was her friend since they were both six, two years before her real mother died. She was usually a strong girl, but she could feel tears forming in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Before Yuu could say anymore, she screamed from frustration and anger, and yelled at the top of her lungs, "You have never swore before and you choose now to, and to me?! I can't believe you would say that after the things I have done for you!"

Mikan ran full speed out of the meadow and out of the park, blinded by her tears to know where she was going. She had so many emotions going through her right now, but the strongest emotion, the emotion she had only felt once in her life, was the feeling of regret.

~END FLASHBACK

Mikan sighed once again, her breath fogging up the bathroom mirror attached to the wall. She loathed boys and now, she was forced to go on some dating show to find a…a… a boyfriend!? Worst of all, Luna had made Mikan dress in clothes that were not prissy at all. She wore a strapless red mini dress, reaching a little under her mid thighs and black high heels, probably two inches. She quickly put on her white coat, knowing it would be cold since it was winter. Being Saturday, both girls knew their father would not be home until nine pm, so Mikan stuffed her keys in the left pocket of her coat. When she came out of the bathroom, she found Luna and some girls she recognized as Anna Umenomiya and Nonoko Ogasawara. They both exchanged gentle smiles, and Mikan couldn't help but smile back. Even though they hung out with Luna, both girls were really nice to Mikan.

"You're just going to wear what I told you to and a jacket? Aren't you going to bother putting on some makeup or anything?" questioned Luna.

"You never said anything about having to." Although Mikan had never used any makeup before, except occasionally putting on lip gloss or eyeliner, she looked flawless. Her skin had a glow to it that made it look both smooth and complex. Even Luna had to admit, through envy, that she was beautiful. Whenever she smiled, her pearly, white teeth would show and her giggle sounded somewhat musical and delighting. She was not tall, but not short. The dress she was wearing showed how nice her curves were and how lustrous her legs were.

It was true that Luna was a beauty but when compared to Mikan, she could not compare. No matter how much makeup she put on, or surgery she would go through, Mikan would always outshine her. The only reason Luna was the most popular girl in school was because Mikan hid herself from people and wore the most unappealing clothes that covered her angelic face. Her hair was typical except for the light curls at the bottom that made it stand out from others. Ever since the incident with Yuu when they were young, she became more reticent with people who tried to approach or befriend her. Anna and Nonoko knew how pretty Mikan was due to the fact that they always came over to her house, but never admitted anything to Mikan because of Luna and her power. Until now.

"Mikan, you look stunning," said Anna, in a shy, quavering voice.

Mikan noticed the death glare Luna had sent the pink-haired girl, so without missing a beat, she replied, "All of you look rather dashing, too. I like your pink mini skirt, Luna."

Thankful for having the attention diverted to Luna, Anna sighed gratefully and gave a nod to Mikan. Nonoko, noticing what Mikan had just done, tried to cover her light laughter over how dense Luna was.

"Let's go." With a snap of Luna's fingers, all four girls including herself were out the door and into Luna's purple buggy.

"Punch buggy purple!" Mikan squealed and punched Luna in the arm. Hard.

"Ow! You did that on purpose!" shouted Luna.

"It's not my fault you bought a buggy. I would have done it to anyone. Just as hard."

"Sure, that's believable."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"What crap have you dragged us into now, Kitsuneme," said a young man with raven-colored hair.

"Don't hassle me. The place I'm bringing you guys to is_ awesome,_" Kitsuneme chuckled nervously, running a hand through his messy light brown hair.

In the backseat of the car, a certain blonde quirked his eyebrow, for he did not know where his friend was leading him to either. The male seated to the left of the blonde snickered loudly, and just shook his head.

"Do you know something about this?" asked the male seated in the passenger seat in the front, his ruby red eyes shifting towards the back.

"Hahaha. I promised not to tell. What I can tell you, though, is that I will enjoy seeing your shocked faces."

"Are you saying this place is something you won't be shocked about?" accused the blonde.

"Course not, Ruka. It's just the shock is drained out of me. I was there when the proposal was made."

"Holy, is Kitsuneme getting married?" suggested the raven-haired man. Although it was a question, his voice showed no emotion. "You went and got drunk then did it with someone on the street, huh? Ever heard of cervix cancer? How old are you, sixteen, right? That girl you fucked with better had been old enough or she could sue your dirty ass."

The two in the backseat failed to hold their laughter.

"No, I'm not getting married. You know me better than that; I only sleep with girls that have—"

"We get it, Kitsuneme; you can stop your explanation before it gets out of hand."

"Awh, Ruka can't handle these mature conversations."

"Shut up Koko."

"Stop arguing, you guys are giving me a migraine. We're almost there."

As Kitsuneme turned the corner on Larlox avenue, he hummed while fidgeting with his tie.

"What are you doing?" asked Natsume, a serious expression on his face.

"You know what? Who needs a tie, it was choking me anyway."

"I still don't get why you made us wear suits, though."

"It was required, ahaha."

"What? Repeat that, Koko," Ruka and Natsume replied in unison.

The car suddenly lurched to a stop, and all four boys turned to look at their destination.

"I need a new car. This Mitsubishi makes really bad brakes."

"Kitsuneme…_Lovers Studio?!" _

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After twenty minutes in the car, listening to Luna and the other two sing girlie songs, Mikan just had to get out of the car. It was a relief when the buggy pulled to a stop, and Mikan twirled herself out of the car. In short seconds, Mikan found herself staring at a big, neon sign that read _Lovers Studio._ The other three girls screamed with excitement, thinking about the boys that would appear on the show with them. Mikan wanted to run away and hide in a box.

MIKAN's P.O.V.

What. The. Fudge. That has to be the crappiest name I have ever heard. _Lovers Studio!?_ Luna has the worst ideas ever. If she wants a guy, why can't she just wait for a guy to come screw her himself? I'm sure there'd be plenty of them waiting in line. EW, disgusting just thinking about it!!

"Aye, quit daydreaming about the boys that will be on the show and come on already. We're going inside."

I was glad I had my back to the rest of the girls because my face was scrunched up into a look of disgust and my hands were balled into fists, turning paler by the second. I took a couple more seconds to straighten myself out then turned towards the door and headed in.

A man wearing a pink biretta, and matching pink collared shirt with shorts and leggings came to greet us at the front entrance. He wore brown boots. All of us girls looked at him in shock and amusement.

"You four must be here starring in today's show! Welcome, I'll get some workers to set you up soon. Please call me Narumi-sensei. I've always wanted to be a teacher, you know. You guys must be Anna, Nonoko, Luna, and Mikan," he answered with a smile. Surprisingly, he had given the correct names to the correct persons, indicating with his right pinky finger, a clipboard in his other hand. His blonde hair almost shielded his gleeful eyes.

Before I could ask her question, Luna blurted out, "Are you gay or something?"

I was bewildered. What kind of question is that? All I was going to ask was why he was wearing a biretta when cardinals or priests wore them or something. How rude… I huffed at my sister, who was enjoying the awaiting response from Narumi-sensei.

"Ahaha. No, actually. The producers ask for us to wear something pink every day, and I guess I just got into it. I'm not gay; I like women." He winked at the girls' direction. Luna rolled her eyes while Nonoko and Anna chortled sheepishly. I just gave a doubtful smile. I could not find myself hating the man before her.

Narumi made room for us and we shuffled into a small room where two ladies were standing, each wearing matching pink uniforms and black high heels. Their brown hair was tied into a loose ponytail, each holding two masks in their hands. They looked over to Narumi-sensei and nodded.

"Good evening, ladies. We are here to help you get ready for the show. We will need you to put this on each of your wonderful faces."

They handed us a mask, obviously the color pink with purple outlining. I put mine on, glad that no one would see my face, until one of the ladies continued speaking.

"In the beginning of the show, we will pair you up random with the four guys yet to arrive. When you have approached said partner, he will take your mask off, revealing the face beneath. Then we'll get into other rounds and explain later on, but for now, please follow us to answer some questions."

Great. Just when I thought I could hide under a mask away from those unfaithful human beings, I have to let one of them take the mask off my face? Urgh. I followed the ladies into another door on the right side of the small room and entered another small room, with a giant wooden table, and four comfortable black leather chairs.

"Each of you. Take a seat. We will be asking you some questions for the show. When we have finished with you, exit this room and open the double doors in the front of the room we were in at first. It should not be hard to miss. It has a big sign saying, 'PRODUCTION ROOM'."

Inside the other double doors was even gayer. The color pink was everywhere and plastic hearts were hanging all over the spacious room. In the front of the room was a large stage with four chair-tables on each side. In the center of the room were theatre seats for the…audience. Oh, shit! The audience! I completely forgot; I can't do this, I have stage-fright! I quickly scurried over to where Luna was standing.

"Luna!" I whispered-yelled.

"What?" Luna gave an exasperated sigh of annoyance.

"I can't do this, I have stage-fright." I told her.

"So do half of the world's stars," she replied monotonously, like it was the most obvious comment known to man.

I wasn't going to admit that I was scared unlike the famous people who went up to stages and performed their hearts out like it was nothing big. Instead, I did some breathing exercises, but that only made me realize that my legs were shaking and my teeth were chattering…and it was not even cold! There was a freakin' heater on, for crying out loud! I tried to think happy thoughts, happy thoughts, and it almost worked until I heard Luna's ear-piercing screech from the left. Sigh, I turned around to see what the commotion was about and my eyes landed on the most intense pair of eyes I have ever seen. They were crimson colored, and seemed almost enigmatic.

It was a good thing I had the mask on; for some odd reason, I was blushing, turning scarlet by the second. At first I thought he knew I was staring at him, because he was staring straight back, so I turned my head, ashamed. Then I realized that the mask covered the direction of my eyes, so I mentally slapped myself for being exceptionally slow. Trying to ignore my blunt reactions, I strained to hear what Luna, Anna, and Nonoko were talking about. With a quick glance at the gentleman with with luminous, crimson eyes, I walked closer to the other three gals.

"…I know, isn't he?"

"Hi, what are you guys talking about?"

"Don't you think those four boys are hot!?" Luna looked jubilant and for a second, I forgot that we hated each other—it actually felt like we could have been friends. Making a note of that, I quickly replied before she thought I was sluggish.

"Um, yeah…" I had forgotten that I did not really like boys much, so my response was meaningless. Luna had snorted at my reply, so I decided to let them talk amongst themselves while I listened.

"Okay, so which one you think looks the sexiest?" Nonoko interrogated.

"The raven-haired one. His hair and skin looks so damn perfect and smooth," said Luna, with hearts creeping about her eyes.

"What about the blonde one? His eyes are blue and it looks like it could almost sparkle!" suggested Anna.

After a few minutes of hearing them talk about the four boys in the far corner of the studio, I got bored of listening to them, so I decided to dissect those four boys myself.

There were four of them, as I have mentioned. They all looked about the same age as me, maybe older or younger. One of them was the most mentioned of Luna's discussion and the one I was captured by. Not that I think he is interesting, just those eyes are…awesome! He had lustrous black hair, piercing red eyes (as I have said for the umpteenth time), perfectly tanned skin, luscious body……………..Oh my gosh! What am I thinking?! Luscious body? I was practically drooling! Of course I don't think that! Although he does have a great body, those muscles that look balanced on his arms and such. He probably had less than ten percent of body fat! Who cares though; looks aren't everything. He wore a black suit with a red tie hidden beneath his tux. He had a scowl plastered on his face yet he still looked divine. I guess he did not favor the tuxedo requirement, nor did the other three, who were wearing the same outfit, except each tie matched their own eye color.

The next person was the blonde one. He had a great body too, but Boy #1 looked fitter. He had tantalizing blue eyes, but again, #1's was more superb. I had seen glimpses of his smiles and laugh and it sounded heavenly, to tell you the truth. I wonder if everyone sounded like that, but I thought of Luna and abruptly changed my mind. I had not seen #1 laugh yet and it has been quite a while now. Then again, I didn't laugh yet either.

The next person had messy brown hair, but he still looked appealing. His face was compressed into a goofy grin, his eyes squeezed shut. He seemed taller than the others, but his face portrayed him as the youngest. For some reason, he was not wearing a tie. The last guy looked exactly like guy #3, with the exception of slightly darker hair and his eyes were actually open. He did not have on a goofy face, but he was smiling the whole time I sneaked glances at him through my hair. I sensed a friendly aura illuminating from him. His eyes were kind of like navy blue, maybe darker; it was hard to see with my mask on. Getting a bit anxious to get the show over with, I closed my eyes and took a seat in one of the unoccupied chairs.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Ahaha, Kitsuneme is the stupidest guy on Earth."

"Do you ever take things seriously?" Kitsuneme growled.

"Not when there's no reason to." Koko poked Kitsuneme in the gut.

"I can't believe you made a bet with Mochu. Even worse, you lost!"

"I told you Ruka, he was a shitty dirtbag. I wouldn't have lost if he didn't put the burping powder in my drink. I drank twelve bottles of beer for nothing. I hate that " Kitsuneme replied indignantly. (A/N: yes, he's aware that he's underage, but you know men.)

"Where'd he get the burping powder?"

"I don't know. He said he ordered it from somewhere. He also said they sold other things like something called a baka gun. Shoots idiots."

"I'd like one of those. There're a couple of idiots I want to shoot right now," Natsume stated icily, speaking up for the first time after an outburst outside the studio. Natsume hated being given attention and now millions of people watching television would see him.

"Hey buddy, you're not talking about me right? I mean, I know Koko's done wrong, but I had a reason! I was…tricked! Used! Deceived!"

"Don't drag me into this, goof."

"To tell you the truth, I'm more pissed at those girls staring at me right now than of you dragging me into this."

All three boys had not been paying attention to the girls who were now giving them winks and blowing kisses toward them. All except one. Natsume eyed the one standing in the far corner, looking a little delicate. It seemed like she was made of porcelain and would break any moment. He continued to stare at her with an unbreakable gaze until she turned around. Natsume turned around warily and cracked his neck.

"How long do we have to wait; this shit is killing me. I was on the verge of finishing a very good manga."

"Just be patient, Natsume. Since you're bored, why don't you tell us which one you think is most interesting to you?" asked Kitsuneme, trying to decrease the tension in the air.

Natsume waved his hand, signaling a change in question. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

"Come on, I dare you to walk over there and talk to them," Koko laughed and nudged Natsume to move forward, pushing him to the direction of the three girls. Inside, he felt disgusted by the girls who thought that he would be coming over to talk to them. He snuck a glance at the brunette, who was now sitting on a chair, seeming isolated from everyone else.

Natsume abruptly stood his ground, letting Koko push him no further. Kitsuneme and Ruka chuckled, aware that Koko was not strong enough to move Natsume even though he was strong.

Suddenly there was a loud beep that stopped all noise. After a few seconds of hesitation, a speaker from above crackled and a familiar voice shouted, "Okay my pretties! We have five minutes until show time! Please get into your assigned seats, which are numbered right on the table. I will be greeting you soon. Just follow further instructions, but until then, let the show begin!"

"It's the gay from that met us at the door," Natsume spat acidly. "Come on, let's get this over with," and with that, all eight teenagers walked towards the stage.

**END**.

Reviewing will make me explode with happiness inside ;D At least i'll know _some_ of you appreciate my story. If there aren't a lot of reviews, I'll take as my story being boring, so I won't update. Hehe.


	2. Round 1

I already worked on chapter 2, so I guess I'll post it (: Reviewing _would_ encourage me, though.

Chapter 2;

_Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes._

_-H.P._

"People!We are missing two more contestants! Where are they?!" a frantic Narumi asked restively.

Just when he was about to call for the show to begin without them, two very elegant persons walked swiftly through the closed entrance door. All heads turned towards the direction of the following _slam!_ as the metal doors clicked shut. The eight teenagers, who were seated in their assigned places turned to see what the silence that had engulfed them was about. Everyone noticed how stunning the two were, all except Natsume Hyuuga, who was busy fiddling with the pin that read three on his shirt, and Mikan, who was once again, deep in her thoughts.

Feeling the urge to break the silence, Narumi sighed dramatically with relief and walked over to the two missing contestants.

"Thank goodness you have finally arrived!" Narumi clasped his hands together and gave a big smile to the two people in front of him. "You must be Saito Yoshida, and you are Sumire Shouda, am i correct ?"

The two lean figures nodded. They seemed to have come together, but paid no attention of each other. Curious of this, Narumi asked, "Did you two come together, perhaps?"

As if they had rehearsed it, both replied, "No," at almost the same time. What was surprising, though, was that Sumire lightened up tremendously. All eyes once again turned to see where she was headed and rolled their eyes when they figured her motive: talk to Natsume Hyuuga.

"Hey, you," she whispered into Natsume's ear, twirling her black curls of hair. Natsume grunted in reply, finally noticing the quiet commotion made because of the two people. Sumire gasped in disappointment; normally, guys wouldn't mind talking to her because she was very attractive. Her light, piercing green eyes contrasted with her dark, smooth hair. She had a small, slender figure, but inside was a fierce, powerful psyche.

She huffed, crossed her arms over her chest, and stalked away after mumbling a few words to herself. She scanned the other side of the stage, looking at the four other girls.

SUMIRE'S P.O.V.

Not fair. That guy has to be gay. I mean, who wouldn't want _me? _

I quickly walked to the other side of the room, my heels clicking rhythmically against the wooden floorboards. I then decided to slow my pace to check if the other four girls were going to be as pretty as me or just some dorky weirdo trying to get a boyfriend. As I was slowing down, I heard laughter from behind and my curiosity perking up, turned my head to see what the commotion was about.

Some brown-haired loser was pointing at me and smiling widely to the direction of my rejecter. How dare he? Laughing at Sumire Shouda?! The effin' nerve! I decided to turn my tracks around and teach him a lesson with my wide vocabulary of colorful words, but a sudden beep was heard, so I quickly ran towards my seat, careful not to trip.

"30 seconds!"

"Contestants, get into your seats! We're about to begin for real! No more delays!" sang the giddy Narumi.

I'll get him, I thought to myself, eyeing the brown haired male, who was still smiling. I was glaring at him with so much feeling that my eyes started to hurt, and decided to focus on who I would get paired up with. Let's see. I'm number one, so my match is…darn, I can't see. I guess I'll have to wait.

END OF SUMIRE'S P.O.V.

"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to today's show of _Lover's Studio_! I am sure that many of you have been here before and know how we usually start, but we will still explain how we will be organizing our show.

"Our quest is to get all five pairs together. However, sometimes the paired couples do not work out so well, whether because of the dislike in personality or physical features. Fate will determine our lovebirds today! Now, my lovely co-host, Serina, will be giving the instructions to our stunning contestants." concluded Narumi-sensei. All eight teenagers were a little confused, but turned their attention to Ms. Serina to listen to their first task. By now, Mikan had noticed the new additions on the stage. She racked her brain but did not remember them from anywhere.

"In order for the show to begin, we will need the eight contestants to find their assigned partner. Afterwards, after seated in their positions, they will be introducing themselves and telling us their talent and personalities."

All eight contestants got out of their seats and walked towards the back part of the stage, which had been covered by a dark red curtain at first. They looked at their numbers and found their positions.

The pairings are as follows:

1) Kokoro Yome-Sumire Shouda

2) Kitsuneme-Nonoko Ogasawara

3) Natsume Hyuuga-Luna Koizumi

4) Anna Umenomiya-Ruka Nogi

5) Mikan Sakura-Saito Yoshida

NATSUME'S P.O.V.

I'm paired with Miss slut-faced-drama-queen? Worse, I have to sit next to her? This show has the worse organization skills ever. Why would they make the seats we sat in at first if we were going to sit in these other ones for the rest of the show?

When I got to my seat, I tried to scoot my chair away from my partner as far as possible, but I realized that I was acting like a complete idiot due to the fact that the seats were attached to the floor. She kept staring at me and batting her eyelashes. I gave an icy glare and turned to face the audience. They were so annoying; all the while I was staring at the random blur of faces, cameras were clicking and lights were flashing. I just moved back here and already I dislike this place. Japan is worst than America right now!

"Now that everyone has found their buddies, we will begin the acquaintance phase. Starting off with pair number one, and going down the row, please tell us a bit about yourselves." Serina finished off by handing the microphone to the pesky girl who tried to talk to me. She stood up and gave what was supposed to be a dazzling smile.

"Hi, my name is Sumire Shouda." She paused, giving a giggle when someone wolf-whistled. _She_ sure knew how to act lady-like. "My favorite color is green, I enjoy playing the violin, and I am sixteen-years old." She ended with a bow and handed it to her partner, Koko. Aggressively. In reply, Koko just gave an amused smile; the dork. Before standing up, he gave a friendly wink to Perm, who in return scowled.

"The name's Kokoro Yome, but my friends call me Koko. I am sixteen-years-old, I like playing soccer, chillin' with my buds, and I would like to major in Aviation when I attend college." He gave a goofy grin, and sat back down.

"Well, it looks like Kokoro Yome there is already thinking about college! Sumire, you have one responsible partner there!" Narumi complimented. He sounded gay when he said that.

"She's not so bad herself, although I would prefer guitars over violins." He pointed his thumb, indicating that he was talking about Perm.

"I, for one, dislike the sound of guitars, and I hate airplanes. I am not impressed at all." With a final 'humph', she averted her attention from the grinning Koko. Obviously he was very amused.

"My name is Kitsuneme. I also like playing soccer, I'm seventeen-years-old, and harassing my brother is what I do best. I hope you're watching this, Mochu!" He pretended to punch something, and gave a warm laugh before handing the microphone to his partner.

"Hello, I'm Nonoko Ogasawara and I'm really interested in science. I am sixteen-years-old and I hope to find a cure for cancer one day." She gave a polite nod and handed the mic down. Approving nods were made after the mention of cancer. Some even shouted, "You go, girl!"

This is getting so aggravating. If they don't get on with phase two, I'll just do it myself.

"Natsume Hyuuga. Seventeen. I like to read manga and play football and soccer. Break-dancing's okay." I made my speech concise and gave the mic to ugly next to me. She held onto my hand and I had to wrench her damn fingers away from me. Her giggle was supposed to sound seductive, but in my ears, she sounded like a tone-deaf horse.

"Hey, everyone! My name is Luna Koizumi, and I enjoy dancing and hanging out. My favorite color is pink and I hope to find a good boyfriend." She looked at me and gave the crowd a toothy smile. I clenched my jaw, try hard to hold the puke that threatened to come out of my mouth.

"Um...my name is Anna Umenomiya, and I love to cook. I hope to own my own restaurant one day. I am sixteen-years-old," She flipped her wavy, pink hair back and handed the mic to her partner. I thought about Luna's comment about liking the color pink and found that it was not as attractive at all to me.

"My name is Ruka Nogi. Um, I love animals and hope to become a veterinarian for them some day. I also like to swim." Ruka gave a nervous smile and girls started to scream. Although he showed no sign of it, I knew Ruka well enough to know that he was peeved by that. He handed the mic down to a hesitating girl, the one that seemed so isolated from everyone else. She seemed unwilling to take the microphone like it was some kind of pestilence, and even I could see that she was turning red. Being the gentleman he was, Ruka whispered something only for her ears and she took the microphone with a small smile and stood up.

"My name is Mikan Sakura. I like to sing and I am sixteen-years-old. Everyone seems so sure about themselves, but I don't really have a set future." She turned a darker shade of red when more cameras clicked. It looked to me like she was stage fright. She handed the mic shakily to her partner and sat back down.

"Yo, my name is Saito Yoshida, and I am seventeen-years-old. I like to play football and school is not my forte." He gave a wide smile and girls screamed louder, although not as loud as they screamed for me, which was kind of annoying. Every time I walked by a group of girls, they'd yell and scream the most disgusting things ever. Why couldn't I be good-looking inconspicuously sometimes?

"Now that everyone is introduced, we will begin with phase two." After hearing Narumi say that, I could not help but mutter a "finally" under my breath. The ugly duckling thought it was hilarious and just about laughed her ass off. I can't wait until this is over; I'm sure as heck that I will reject my partner.

END OF NATSUME'S P.O.V.

"All five partners will be given the same two tasks to complete and the judges will rate them based on how well they work together and the feelings they show toward each other. For example, hate, comfort, et cetera." Serina gestured toward the judges, who gave small waves and smiles. There were three judges total—one female, two males. "The score will be out of fifty."

"Listen carefully for the instructions." Narumi cleared his throat before continuing. "The task you must complete first is very traditional: all male contestants will be carrying their female companion! Whoever holds onto his partner the longest will receive the most points, of course, but their feelings will be counted too."

Some groans and whoops were heard from both genders, and Kitsuneme shouted loudly, "What if we have a fat partner?" which absolutely broke Nonoko's calm temperament, and a few seconds later, a painful cry escaped Kitsuneme's lips as he covered his tender spot. Mikan, snapping out of her uneasy state, broke out in fits of laughter for the first time in days, figuring out what Nonoko had done to the loud-mouthed Kitsuneme. Soon, Nonoko and Anna joined in, and even Sumire gave a knowing smile. Luna just rolled her eyes, although no one could see her because of the mask, and leaned towards Natsume, who had not been paying attention to her at all. In fact, his attention was directed particularly to the girl three seats away. For some reason, Natsume felt confused; he sensed an unpredictable aura around Mikan Sakura. She had the power to make other smile genuinely, unless of course, they were clouded with envy for the amazing figure. He squinted his eyes; he had finally found someone ineresting.

"Well, what has secretly occurred among the contestants? You guys sure look energized!" exclaimed Narumi, who was now moving his head around, as if that would help him realized what the commotion was about. "Ready to begin?"

When no one replied, he took that as a yes, and asked the contestants to go to the center of the stage. Koko was smiling about what had happened at first while Sumire was pushing him toward the center of the stage, shaking her head disapprovingly, although a hint of amusement could be seen. Nonoko was sending Kitsuneme a death glare that told you who would be wearing the pants in their relationship; that is, if they ever were to be in one. Luna clung to Natsume's arm but a hiss from Natsume caused her to falter and step back. Ruka and Anna were walking slowly, but they showed no feelings that they were into each other, and last were Mikan and Saito. Being the shy girl that she was Mikan were a few steps behind, but when Saito offered his hand, she could do nothing but accept. The crowd and judges were impressed by his gentlemanness (you know what i mean ;D), and everybody knew that he would get points for that. Mocking Saito's actions, the goofy boys of the group, offered their hand to the girls they were paired with. Nonoko gave a firm "hmph" and walked away from Kitsuneme's silly act. Sumire, although not as mad at Koko as before, still rejected his hand, giving a condescending grin and strutting away.

Anna, being the second shyest besides Mikan, desperately wished for Ruka to offer his hand, for she had a small crush on him at the time, but seeing that he wouldn't, stopped looking clingy, and speed-walked to the rest of the destination.

Luna, however, was not disappointed at Natsume's lack of pretend affection, but rather unperturbed. She always found a way to get her way, so she thought of him as a little challenge that would soon be over. "Hold me tighter," Luna whispered as she clung onto his arm forcefully.

"I wasn't even holding on to you in the first place," he said without emotion, and shook her away from his touch. The crowd was shocked; they understood that Nonoko and Sumire's actions were nearing a joking and playful manner, but Natsume was obviously fed up by Luna. Some of the youthful teenage boys were surprised because if they were given what they thought was a pretty girl under that mask, they would have wanted her hold on them. The girls fainted, thinking Natsume's actions were sexy and appealing. Luna was impressed by the total control of his words and temperament, while Natsume was totally irritated. Judges would surely be marking points off for couple number three.

"Okay! When we give you the signal, boys, hold onto your lady friends, and girls, just hope they don't drop you! In addition, there is no specific rule about how to carry your partner, whether it be bridal style or a piggyback, so carry the way that is easiest for you," Narumi gave a wide smile and with his fingers, counted to five in descending order. "And, go!"

Each boy lifted their partner up and Sumire gave a squeak when Koko flipped her upper body over his shoulder, holding onto her legs. All the others chose to carry their partners bridal style.

"He said whichever way suits us the best."

"You idiot! This has to be the worst possible way to carry a girl!" Sumire was somewhat embarrassed because her behind was facing the audience. Sumire said in a low whisper that could only be heard by Koko's ears, "Put me down. I would rather lose points than to have people taking pictures of my ass. You pervert…"

Koko whispered back, "What are you talking about? Your green skirt is covering your bum, and I'm not going to put you down. I like to win—it's my motto. By the way, I'm not a pervert; it's not like I'm looking at your legs or anything near that right now."

"If you don't put me down, I'm going to make you," and with that, Sumire pinched his butt. Surprised, Koko let go of her, but the weight of her fall caused him to tip over too and before long, both were sprawled onto the floor. Sumire was flushed with anger, her curls bouncing violently. She got up and dusted off her clothes, ready to kick Koko in the face, but the stuttering crowd caught her attention. She did not want to embarrass herself any further, but suddenly Koko burst out laughing, along with the rest of the boys on stage.

"Why are you laughing? You should be embarrassed about the fall." Sumire rubbed her temples, frustrated that Koko was laughing at a lifetime of humiliation.

"I'm not laughing because of the fall. I'm laughing because of that, seaweed hair," and he pointed down the row. Sumire turned her head and found herself staring wide-eyed at an unbelievable sight. Apparently, they were not the first ones to lose. Natsume and Luna were in a big mess before them that no one probably saw what happened to her and Koko. Luna was on the floor, rubbing the side of her thigh. Natsume, cool as he was, looked extremely unaffected and detached, his hands in his trouser pockets. He never wavered, his eyes connected to the same place.

Sumire sighed in relief; the cameras were probably all facing the first shocking incident. Slowly coming back to focus, Sumire played the shocking scene over in her head, then remembered the atrocious name she was dubbed.

"Seaweed hair?!" yelled Sumire. She balled up her fists, ready to punch him, but before she could, Koko ran into the crowd.

"Sissy!" Sumire screamed as she ran to catch up to him.

"Haha. At least my hair is not formed abnormally!" People could tell the two were having fun. Some commented enviously, "They look like a real couple already!" and others, "I wish my man could make me that energetic (this was said by girls and a few gays)!"

"All right you two. Get back on stage now. There are still three couples still standing," Serina instructed.

Koko walked away from Sumire as she got closer, and mouthed, "Your presence makes me turn to stone," and snickered amusedly. Sumire stuck her tongue out childishly and mouthed back, "Then don't mess with me," and walked back to the stage. Koko was ecstatic; he had never met a girl like her before. He felt so relaxed and carefree around her. _I'm never going to stop messing with you. The only reason you make me turn to stone is because you're too beautiful, I don't know _what_ to do to keep you from leaving my side, _he thought to himself, keeping a straight face as he said it. Koko suddenly realized he would die if he never talked to her again.

When Sumire saw his straight face (only she and Koko's buddies noticed), she rolled her eyes and stepped on his foot. "I was kidding, idiot."

Koko snapped into existence, and his goofy state resumed. "I wasn't thinking about _that_."

MIKAN'S P.O.V.

Wow. They look so great together. I wish I could find a man like that. Just then, Saito shifted his hold on her, making her snap back to reality. She had been thinking about the perfect man, and one was holding her right now. What was missing, though, was that Mikan felt no spark, no click, exactly nothing with him.

"Um, I'm sorry I'm kind of heavy," I blushed furiously, embarrassed of the possible thoughts on his mind.

"You're not heavy, pretty light actually. Of all the girls I've dated, you're probably the smallest." Noticing my uneasiness, Saito added, "Cutest, too." He gave me a little wink and I smiled in return. Time ticked by and I realized Anna and I were the only ones left. Luna had been dropped, which was kind of amusing. Finally she gets to feel how it is like to be hurt in front of a crowd, a taste of her own dirty medicine. No one seemed to notice, but Sumire and Koko fell—I just don't know why. Sumire didn't appear heavy. Nonoko got out when Kitsuneme sneezed on her, which caused her to flick her arms up reflexively and the scene ended with them toppled on top of each other. How romantic, in a way!

I was getting a little uncomfortable. Other girls may like an attractive guy carrying them, but I did not favor having them touch me when I barely knew them at all. I could see he did not want to lose, though. I just don't get it. In the end, we, the contestants, decide if we want to be together or not, so why try so hard here? Finally, Saito seemed a little tired, so he put me down.

"And the winner of this round is pair number four!" Narumi yelled. "It's a new record! Twenty-four minutes and fourteen seconds!" The audience applauded the winner. Serina gestured for us to sit back down, ready to begin the next round. I was absolutely loathing all the unneeded attention given; right now, I actually wanted to crawl in a hole, and I have _never_ been so low on self-esteem. Can a person really be this shy? Enlighten me because I think I am the shyest girl on earth. Weirdest, too--I'm talking to myself, for crying out loud! The loud speaker dorwned out my pointless thoughts; I had a bad habit of holding on to something tightly when nervous, and right now, I was wrinkling my dress.

"We will be taking a short break. Coming up next will be Round 2 and the scores of our contestants," Narumi announced, and I sighed in relief when they called for commercials. This was going to be a memorable night; I can't say it will be one of my favourites, though.

END OF MIKAN'S P.O.V.

Wow, that's a lot of words... Review? Har har. I never checked over this, so if you find mistakes, my bad. Too lazy (: Don't be so pungent to me, yeah?


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